Goodnight Nai
by CaptainStaniel
Summary: Nai's crying at night makes Gareki come to terms with why he honestly can't leave the ship.


Gareki was used to ignoring the things that bothered him. He had been doing it for as long as he could remember. If he didn't like it, he pushed it so far away from his thoughts, in the deepest recesses of his mind that not even a therapist could dig it out.

Gareki clearly didn't like being uncomfortable. And a lot of things that have happened recently have made him very uncomfortable. But in the end he was sure it will be worth it.

Well it better be damn worth it. He's been risking his neck over some kid and this damn Circus. He enjoyed sleeping in an actual bed and having food—that he didn't have to steal—ready for him when he woke up. But in the end where will good lodging get him?

And even if Karoku wants his bracelet back, Gareki wasn't going to let him have it. He deserved it anyway. After all the work he's had to do for these people.

Flying people at that.

But then again he wasn't so sure the bracelet was the only thing he was staying for. He knew why but he wasn't comfortable with the reason. Every time he begins to think that things weren't worth it and he should just leave, he doesn't walk out. He builds up the courage for nothing to happen.

He doesn't like that either. He was fine on his own. He never needed anyone because he had himself. He scavenged what he could for himself and he moved on. But now he's beginning to _rely_ on them. He really doesn't like that. They annoyed the hell out of him and he relied on him. That just doesn't make any sense.

But he knew that if he did leave two things would happen. One, the valga would find him and most likely kill him. Two, he would be separated from Nai.

Gareki doesn't hate Nai, but he wasn't always thrilled to be around him. He did get protective over him very quickly. He can't see the boy get hurt. He can't leave because he knows that Nai would get hurt.

It doesn't matter that Nai was protected by the second ship members because that's not what he means by Nai getting hurt.

Gareki realizes that he must be doing a shitty job because he can hear Nai crying on the bunk below him.

There can only be so many reasons to why Nai was crying. But still Gareki didn't know why. He didn't like not knowing what was wrong with Nai.

But what could he do? He wasn't the best at making people feel good. He never had anyone to tell him that things would be alright or that whatever it was that made him sad would go away. He had no one. When he was sad there was no one there for him but himself. He was the one that would tell himself to stop crying and to save his sadness for later. But he knows that wasn't what Nai needed to hear.

Maybe Gareki was broken after all.

_No! I'm fine! The past is the past._ Gareki told himself, rubbing at his eyes with the heel of his palm. He had a troubled past but he wasn't going to let that get to him anymore.

_Ever since I met Nai…I've been seeing things differently. He made me realize that maybe…I can be good too. So I need to stop thinking like that. _

Nai sniffled, poorly trying to cover them with something. The sad sounds grew louder and louder and the older boy knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep without knowing why Nai was crying.

"Nai." Gareki said quietly but loud enough for Nai to hear. Well, then again Nai was an animal so he was sure he would be able to hear him even if he whispered.

Gareki could just see a small niji crying in his bed.

Nai's sniffles stopped abruptly. "Ga…Gareki?" he whispered.

"Why are you crying so late at night?" The black haired boy heard that his voice came out harsher than intended. But in his defense he's not good at things like this.

Nai whimpered. "N-no reason."

"Stop lying!" Gareki hissed. "Tell me!" He really needed to work on sounding nice—or at least calm.

"Gareki…are you mad?" Nai was obviously avoiding the question.

"What? No! But if you don't tell me I will be." _Great, now I'm threatening him. I'm supposed to be helping him, idiot._

"I'm sorry!"

"Nai—"

"I'm so sorry!"

"Nai! Stop it!" _What was wrong with this kid?_

"Okay…" Nai was quiet after that last outburst.

Gareki heaved a sigh and rolled on his back. He's really fucking up right now. He didn't know how to make this better. He just needed to calm down. If he calmed down he could try to "comfort" him.

Gareki remembered when they came back from Karasuna, after Yotaka was killed, he was completely detached. He remembered Yogi asking if he needed someone to cry on—of course Gareki responded violently to that—and if he wanted to sleep in his bed.

Maybe…he should suggest that for Nai. But the thought of being in the same bed as Nai—his body so close, so warm—brought unwanted heat to his cheeks.

_Damn it, stop acting like a girl. It's just Nai._ But it didn't matter. The damage was done. And for some stupid reason his brain detached itself and words were coming out of his idiotic mouth.

"Come sleep with me." He sounded just as stupid as Yogi did.

"What…Gareki?" Nai asked quietly. He was probably thinking that Gareki was going to yell at him again.

Before Gareki knew what he was doing he blurted, "Come sleep with me, Nai." He couldn't help but blush at how intimate those words were. He wondered how he didn't notice how wrong this sounded when Yogi was suggesting it.

Oh damn, the thought of Yogi suggesting something like _that_—although he wasn't—just made Gareki blush harder.

Nai apparently didn't care that he was going to sleep next to a boy. After those words were said he was out of his bed and climbing up to Gareki's.

Gareki moved his blankets back, glad that it was nearly pitch black in their room save for the night like by Nai's bed. The boy insisted on having one. Gareki wouldn't have care but it was a Nyanperona night light and that made everything worse.

Nai immediately put his arms around Gareki, not caring about the older boys' personal space. His body stiffened at the extra weight on this chest, realizing that it was Nai's head.

"Gareki's heart is beating really fast. Are you okay?" Nai craned his head up to look at Gareki as he asked that.

"I'm fine." He said brusquely. "I…I just have never done this before."

"It's okay, Gareki. I won't break you."

"…What?"

"Gareki's sad all the time."

"You're the one crying." Gareki muttered. _Did I really seem that weak?_

"Gareki…"

"Why were you crying?"

Nai sniffled and clutched Gareki's black tank top. Thinking about why he was crying must have made him sad again because Gareki felt something wet drip on his collarbone.

"Well…?"

"If you stay with me you'll get hurt!" Nai cried.

"Not this again." Gareki sighed. "Look, I'm not made of glass. I won't break."

"If you stay you'll get hurt, Gareki. Everyone I care for will get hurt. I don't want you to get hurt but I don't want you to leave. We have to be together forever."

_This kid…_ "I won't leave, okay."

"Okay, but Gareki—"

"And I'll be safe, too. You don't have to worry about me."

"You'll let Tsukumo and Yogi protect you, right?"

"Okay, you're asking a lot, kid."

Nai sat up and gripped Gareki's shirt with his tiny fists. There was still not enough light to see properly but they both knew that they were looking at each other. "No! You have to promise! Gareki!" Nai shouted at him.

Gareki's eyes widened. Nai was being intense right now. It was kind of cute. So cute that Gareki agreed. Damn his hormones.

"Thank you." Nai laid back down.

Gareki's heart was still pounding hard in his chest.

Nai moved closer, his leg against Gareki's thigh. He breathed heavily at the crook of Gareki's neck. Gareki was sure his body was stiff as a board.

"Are you okay, Gareki?" Nai's breath came out in small puffs, ghostly warmly across his neck.

"Ye-yeah."

"Are you sure?"

"J-just let me move my a-arm." He couldn't believe how badly he was stuttering. He was such an idiot.

He quickly brought his arm from underneath Nai. He didn't know what to do with it so he put it around Nai. Of course that brought Nai impossibly closer to him.

_Okay_, Gareki thought, _this is_ _happening. But don't freak out. It's only Nai._

"Thank you, Gareki."

"Yeah."

Quickly Nai was asleep on Gareki's chest, his earlier fears gone as he slept. Gareki was too nervous to sleep. But he wasn't uncomfortable. And for some reason he pressed his lips to Nai's head and he finally figured out why he could never leave Nai.

"Good night, Nai."


End file.
